


Christmas Cards

by StayReadingAus



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: AND BOOM THEYRE LIKE NOPE OKAY JUST GO YOU’RE GOOD PLEASE DONT KILL ME, Alternate universe - Mafia, Blood and Injury, Chan Hyunjin and Jisung are also part of the mafia, Christmas cards used as dont-mess-with-me-cards, Former doctor! Seungmin, Jeongin Changbin and Felix are Seungmin's friends, Korean Mafia, Like you do something wrong, M/M, Mafia Boss! Minho, Mentioned Other K-pop Artist(s), Mild Blood, Minho gets shot, One Shot, Police catch you, Seungmin patches Minho up, Switched a few names and pronouns and yay it’s on ao3, The blood isn't descriptive, You can read 2min as platonic or romantic, You whip out the christmas cards, but i'll admit, it's more on the romantic side, like at all, so guess what happens? ding ding ding you're right, the rest of skz are briefly mentioned, wrote this for my creative writing class
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:46:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28253367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StayReadingAus/pseuds/StayReadingAus
Summary: A series of frantic knocking at the front door quickly shook Seungmin out of his sleep-deprived state.“What the hell?” Seungmin jumped up and ran to answer the door, wondering who could possibly be ringing at the dead of the night on Christmas Eve.He flung the door open.“Oh my God,” Seungmin choked at the sight, hand automatically coming to his mouth in shock.In front of him, one of his friends was hunched over, his hand covering his stomach. The air reeked of metal and in a few seconds, Seungmin realised exactly why his friend was covering his stomach.“Minho-hyung… ”
Relationships: Kim Seungmin/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 7
Kudos: 90





	Christmas Cards

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I'm not trying to glorify the Mafia at all. I understand that the Mafia does some really bad shit. I hesitated writing this but ended up doing it anyways just for the sake of my creative writing class assignment. The assignment was just to write something that was inspired by Christmas :)) So Merry Christmas!!
> 
> I listened to White Winter Hymnal by Pentatonix while writing a bit of this, so here it is in the au.
> 
> Also, this is the first time posting on ao3 so I'm not quite sure how to do all this? I'm having some trouble with the italics. It won't? Do it???? Are you supposed to "import work" or do most people use the "create work" feature then copy paste everything in? I'm confused. Please help heh...
> 
> And please please please. Constructive criticism is highly welcome. I would love some honest feedback. Could be literally about anything, I would still appreciate it. I'm still on the fence if I should have written something that was about the Mafia (no matter how fictional it was) so if you are strongly against that, please leave it in the comments and explain why. I would just like to be educated :]
> 
> No one's reading this but just skip ahead and enjoy! Merry (early) Christmas!

With winter comes December. With December comes Christmas. And with Christmas comes the Christmas cards.

To normal civilians, Christmas cards don’t seem too important. They really aren’t. And that’s exactly what Seungmin had believed. Until a letter had appeared on his desk, bold Korean calligraphy glaring up at him.

“리노.”

Within seconds of seeing the name, Seungmin had rushed to close the office door, grab the letter opener, and whisk into a seat with the letter in hand. Shakily, he had torn open the envelope and stared in shock as a single miniature-sized Christmas card made itself known.

That was the first card sent by the Mafia. And it wasn’t the last.

As the years went on, Seungmin came to expect the holiday cards. With every Christmas that passed, his wallet grew a few milligrams heavier.

He had no idea how they got to him. There was never a postage stamp on the corners of the envelopes, leading the brunette to believe they might have been hand-delivered to his office by the Mafia themselves. The covering was always a pristine white, except for the one time there were faint, red splotches on the letter’s edge.

Over time, the names grew familiar, but they were hard to keep track of. The Mafia wasn’t stupid. A single name would have countless aliases connected to it and with tens of letters each from different Mafia divisions, it would never be an easy task to remember them all.

But Seungmin did. He had to.

And while it was true that the names on the cards caused a weight in his pocket like no other, it also lifted a significant amount of worry off the man’s shoulders.

Seungmin hadn’t meant to help the mob bosses. It just ended up… happening.

2:49 AM.

The wind pushed on his windows even harder, the telltale woosh against the glass filling the room. The snow fell heavily outside and the cold permeated through the walls and under Seungmin’s skin. As he abruptly woke up, he heard quiet music coming from his living room.

“I was following the pack all swallowed in the coats…”

Seungmin groaned and stuffed a pillow over his head as he recognised the tune.

White Winter Hymnal.

“Oh good God. That music box ornament is so damn cute, but I swear I’ll crush it under my foot and stick it up so far Santa’s—”

A series of frantic knocking at the front door quickly shook Seungmin out of his sleep-deprived rambling.

“What the hell?” Seungmin jumped up and ran to answer the door, racking through his mind to figure out who could possibly need to talk to him in the dead of night on Christmas Eve.

Maybe his neighbours forgot a gift for their kid and ran over to get Seungmin’s help? Maybe he left his car window open and now it’s filled with snow? Maybe-

He flung the door open.

“Oh my God,” Seungmin choked at the sight, hand automatically coming to his mouth in shock.

In front of him, one of his friends was hunched over, his hand covering his stomach. The air reeked of metal and in a few seconds, Seungmin realised exactly why his friend was covering his stomach.

“Minho-hyung… ”

The man in front of him tried to smile but it ended up as more of a grimace. “Hi Seungmin.”

Suddenly his head cleared and his hands knew what to do immediately. His experience of being a doctor overrode his thoughts, not allowing him to think of anything but how he could help his hyung. Seungmin gently ushered Minho in and laid him down on the towel-covered couch.

Thank goodness I had the towel for Angela. Wait, where is she? I can’t let her come near Minho-hyung. She might hurt him and--

As if on cue, his black cat leapt up next to Minho, and if sensing his distress, started licking his head softly. Oh. I suppose that’s okay. Might help him relax too. God knows how much he loves cats.

Continuing on, Seungmin wordlessly went through the mental checklist of medical supplies in his head. He quickly grabbed everything he needed and went to sit on the floor next to Minho and Angela. He was panting heavily, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, before turning to Seungmin. “I know you’re filled with questions.” He sighed before continuing. “Ask them.”

2:53 AM.

Seungmin’s mind was quiet as he registered his request. The words shook the former doctor out of his haze and he realised that the room wasn’t as silent as he thought.

“With scarves of red tied 'round their throats...”

Seungmin turned his head towards the Christmas tree, where the song was still playing. He focused his attention back on the man covered with blood and sweat. “Don’t mind that. We have more important things to take care of.”

With quick but efficient movements, he cut open Minho’s shirt to inspect the damage. He looked at his stomach, up at him, then back down.

“Okay, I know I just said that we had more important things to take care of. But how the hell did you get shot?” Seungmin stared at Minho and felt a mix of confusion and concern beginning to churn at the pit of his stomach.

“To keep their little heads, from fallin’ in the snow.”

The man shook underneath Seungmin. He looked into his eyes, silently demanding the truth. Minho crumbled instantly. “Alright, I’ll tell you, I promise. But after we get the bullet out of my midriff?”

“Okay.”

As the minutes ticked by, the scent of warm blood mixed with the smell of disinfectant. Muffled hisses sliced through the air as Seungmin worked to pick the bullet out. The lone lamp overhead flickered occasionally but managed to shine enough light for Seungmin to see what he was doing. All the while, the music box kept playing the same chords and melodies.

“And I turned ‘round and there you go. And, Michael, you would fall.”

“And turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime…”

And Seungmin worked. He worked until he heard the clatter of the metal bullet drop into a porcelain bowl. He worked until he felt the soft but firm thread sewn tightly into Minho’s pale skin. He worked until he sensed the tension dissipate from the air, both of them realising that Minho was no longer on the verge of bleeding out.

He wasn’t going to die. No matter what bullshit metaphor and the foreshadowing English White Winter Hymnal lyrics tried to lead him to believe, Minho wasn’t going to die.

Seungmin sighed, taking off his medical gloves and handing the man a shirt. He watched as Minho slipped it on, weary of his freshly bandaged stomach. “Now talk. And before you ignore me again, you’re not going to blow this one off. Hyung, you promised me.” He raised an eyebrow and asked him once more. “Talk.”

“I’m part of the Mafia.”

Seungmin blinked. “Come again?”

“I’m part o-”

Seungmin huffed, exasperated by Minho’s words. “No, I heard what you said the first time, geez.”

The man blinked, obviously confused with Seungmin’s reaction. “You… That’s all you have to say to that?”

Seungmin leveled his glare at him, “It’s 3 something o’clock in the morning. I just removed a bullet out of my friend’s stomach on Christmas Eve.” He cocked his head. “Christmas Day? Christmas Night? Morning?”

Minho stared at him in disbelief. “Seungmin-ah! That’s not important!”

“Oh, hyung.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m just saying that you being in the Mafia would make the most sense considering the situation. That’s all.” Seungmin threw his hands up defensively.

“But that’s not all I have to say.”

Seungmin stood up, scooping Angela into his arms and taking a seat on the sofa across from where Minho was laying. Angela wiggled around a couple of times, before deeming it comfortable enough to finally sit in Seungmin’s arms. Seungmin glanced up at the man and took a shot in the dark. “What? You're going to tell me that you’re the secret heir of a massive Mafia family and you got in a gunfight with your dad’s right-hand man because they wanted to be the heir instead? And then you killed him but they shot your first and then you crawled your way into my apartment to get help from a friend that you knew could help because he was a doctor before?”

Minho sputtered from his spot. “No! That shit only happens in the movies.” Then he turned to look at Seungmin and he could feel the air grow heavier around them. “I’m not the heir of a Mafia family. I’m already the head of a Mafia family.”

3:46 AM.

Seungmin stared at Minho for a while. Stared at the leader of a Mafia family. Stared at someone who’s most likely murdered or ordered the murders of hundreds. The white glow from the streetlight outside shone brightly, casting a sharp spotlight over the man.

The Mafia leader sputtered at Seungmin’s reaction. “So the notion of my being in the Mafia at all didn’t phase you in the slightest, but the second I say that I’m a ‘heavily involved member of organised crime’, shit goes sideways?”

Minho moved to stand up from the couch. Seungmin felt his doctor instincts tug him up, wanting him to help. But his newfound fear firmly held him back. Seungmin watched as he walked to the door, then paused. “We’ll talk about this later, alright?”

Seungmin felt a wave of pure panic as thoughts of men in black suits chasing after him scrambled together through his mind in a frenzy.

As if sensing it, Minho quickly added, “Just to talk! Promise. And it’ll just be you and me. No one else.” His face softened slightly, looking almost fondly at his dongsaeng. “You’re a genuine friend that’s come from a genuine part of my life.” Something at the bottom of Seungmin’s stomach felt uneasy at the word ‘friend’ but he paid it no mind. Minho continued on. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“Promise?”

“You have my word.”

Seungmin felt the tension in his shoulders fade away, thoughts settling as he took in the promise the man in front of him had just made. It’s just going to be Minho-hyung. My Minho-hyung. The same man that is always at my side during movies. The same man that holds my hand whenever Jeongin picks a damn horror movie and Changbin just laughs. It’s fine. At least Felix is cowering with him. He glanced back up at the man.

Minho was already staring at him, concern filling his gaze. He opened his mouth as to speak, then closed it. The air simmered with a different kind of tension. Seungmin didn’t know what exactly was going on but somehow he felt safe in Minho’s presence. Minho turned his head to look at the time. “I should get going. I’ve been here for too long. I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asked, glancing back at Seungmin.

He choked on his own spit out of surprise. Choking silently, he thought to himself, I really need to handle myself better if I’m going to be keeping this up.

Seungmin clumsily gulped and responded, “Yeah. Tomorrow.” And while his friend’s footsteps slowly faded away, he simply sat. The music box had finally stopped and it left him in deafening silence.

“Tomorrow.”

The second he rushed Minho into his apartment to patch him up, his life began to become intertwined with the Mafia. It started slowly. Then it just transformed into a life of its own.

Christmas morning came and Minho and Seungmin had The Conversation. 

In return for his kindness the night before, Minho had revealed the name of one of his aliases, saying that he would use it if he ever needed to contact Seungmin again specifically about “business”. Later on in their conversation, Seungmin had insisted to him that Minho could call the former doctor anytime if he got hurt again and had no one to turn to. The elder reluctantly agreed but had made sure Seungmin knew what he was getting into by offering. Both the good and the bad.

Seungmin had shaken his head, mentioning he couldn’t stand to be idle and that it was a good opportunity to be out in the medical field again.

A couple of weeks later, an unknown number called him.

“Seungmin-ssi?”

“Yes, sir?” This was it. Seungmin could feel it in his bones.

“805-8, Majang-dong, Seongdong-gu.” Then the line went dead. An address.

After the first ones, the calls started coming in more frequently. Not only was his phone ringing every other day, but he had also begun to work on and help some other members of Minho’s Mafia division. He helped set a dislocated hip for Chan-hyung, tended to a 2nd-degree burn for Hyunjin, and aided several more people.

That was when the Christmas cards began trickling in.

A few years passed, and word had gotten around that Seungmin was neutral, meaning he was able to help multiple Mafia families from unique divisions. He worked with division NCT, Red Velvet, Day6, and countless more. He wasn’t sure how this all passed among the families themselves, but he reckoned that they had reached an agreement to share Seungmin.

At first, Seungmin was uncomfortable at the thought that he was being objectified. But then realising that his situation was incredibly mild compared to others when it came to dealing with the Mafia as often as he did, he came to appreciate the flexibility. Hell, he even began to become close friends to some of them. Seungmin grew close to several groups, but none had managed to capture his heart as Minho’s team did. He knew it probably wasn’t a good thing, but eventually, Seungmin found it in himself not to care.

Seungmin sped through a red light, whizzing past cars. He had received a call for assistance on the east side of the city and was rushing to get on the scene before nothing truly bad happened. Jisung got hurt so often that Seungmin ended up freeing up some time on his schedule specifically for the mafia member.

He rolled his eyes as he noticed red and blue lights flashing in the rearview mirror. Expertly, he weaved through the other cars and came to a halt on the side of the road. Seungmin grabbed his wallet and waited impatiently for the officers to approach his car. When they finally were close enough, he rolled the window down and flashed the Christmas cards in front of the police. 

Instantly, they looked at each other, took a step back, and gave him the go signal.

Smirking, Seungmin slipped the cards back in his wallet, put his car in the highest gear, and took off.

Maybe the Christmas cards were a blessing after all.


End file.
